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Yah I see them on the Hudson around Newburg just south of the Newburg Beacon Bridge It never occurred to me that they would get in shipping lanes Duh, but it never occurred to me that someone wauld put 27 people on a boat built for 7 and only a few life vests. That is exactly why I gave up flying, when I saw how many people up there don’t know what they are doing. Same with motorcycles.

There were a couple of red flags that went up as I read the article about Chicago: ACA response to certs, lack of consumer knowledge about certs, and the size of the fleets rented at one time. But I didn’t want to clog the bandwidth with those comments.

I really wanted to say that we shouldn’t assume every kayak we see on any waters is a novice, or ignorant of the fact that they are in challenging waters, surrounded by giants. And when you do see the little rec boat in dangerous ways, try to resist the urge to swamp him.

That said, I do my best to remind paddlers to be mindful of the relationship between their surroundings and ability.

First off, intentionally swamping a small vessel is criminal. In order to exercise the requisite care while operating a large commercial vessel, an operator in my position MUST assume the recreational boater in view hasn’t got a clue. His presence in a heavily traveled commercial route presents us with one more hazard to consider and address. I’ve noted in previous posts of how I need to be “psychic” to figure out where each and every target will proceed and then avoid all contact with said targets. It has been made clear by the agency that grants my authority (the USCG) that I will be held to a higher standard and assessed a higher degree of fault (perhaps all of it) when things go bad as a rec boater and professional mariner get tangled up.. You must realize that I am now responsible for the consequences of YOUR poor choices and operational decisions(this gives me one more reason to think recreational licensing would be appropriate). The behavior of a good number of boaters is exemplary but there is a large number of them that push a situation to extremes and don’t even realize how bad things are getting until it’s too late. So, forgive me if I consider recreational craft (including you and your fellow kayakers) a threat until I leave you safely astern.

Interesting first comment over there from a Rhode Island sailor who watched a similar incident involving a sailing class that got caught in a squall – that one didn\’t make it onto the national news but again, the reporters didn\’t really understand the story they were reporting & turned it into something quite different.

ps – I’d tried to leave this yesterday when I first stopped by to see if you knew about the Safe Harbor site, which I see is on your blogroll – but WordPress isn’t making it easy to comment these days.

pps – A tug captain assuming that a recreational craft might turn into an issue until safely left astern seems to me to be as sensible as a paddler assuming that he or she is completely invisible to anyone else in the harbor. You just can’t assume otherwise, can you?

I agree; While in Chicago on business, I took a riverboat tour there. We saw a barge being pushed by a tug at full speed charging through the river trying to make the lock opening about a nautical mile ahead. We only saw the tug as it came around a bend, her skipper steering her with skill. Imagine if a kayak were in her way in that narrow river.
Kayaks don’t belong in shipping channels. Both may be considered “powered” vessels, but a kayak is no where close to the speed, power and displacement of a commercial vessel. The wakes thrown by commercial vessels operating normally in the public waterways are hazardous to any part time, recreational, “weekend warrior” kayaker. Kayaks are not stable craft and will roll under. The pilot of a kayak must master the ability to right themselves while underwater – clearly a panic situation. For the skilled kayak pilot, this is part of the training. For the weekend warrior who’s out an paddling about, keep close to the shore and stay out of the way.

Given what I know about the quality of the water in NY Harbor, the idea of rolling myself underwater anywhere within the confines of the Lower Hudson, Upper Bay and East river makes me shudder and want to get an immunization shot for every disease on the planet. Sure the rivers are cleaner than they used to be but just for the edification of my recreational readers; The NYDEP is charged with treating / handling the raw sewage that is produced in NYC at a few stations around the city. When the city and surrounding ‘burbs get more than an inch or two of rain those facilities are overwhelmed, brimming and forced to allow the overflowing effluent to spill into the water on both sides of the island of Manhattan. Of course they have no choice but to do so, but the decision to go swimming or splashing in it (especially after a rainfall) is strictly out of the question for this guy. I’m just sayin’….

As a professional mariner and former sea kayak guide who still paddles for fun I am often the brunt of jokes and bad feelings from both camps. Bottom line is as a guide you have no requirements to have any kind of knowledge of commercial traffic or waterways, and that is were these large tour groups you see in many cities get into bad situations. There is no regulating body enforcing that a “guide” is even certified in all reality. Though I’ll still take a flock of kayakers to a mess of shrimp boats at the belle pass jetties.